The parents of missing London teenager Nora Quoirin have offered a £10,000 ($12,000) reward for information leading to the return of their daughter, who vanished from a remote resort in Malaysia more than a week ago while on holiday with her family.
Search teams have been trawling the rainforest surrounding the Dusun resort since the 15-year-old, who has a learning disability, was found to be missing from her bedroom on Sunday, August 4.
Her parents said the reward money had been donated by an anonymous business in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The appeal comes as crowd-funded donations for Quoirin’s family exceeded £100,000 ($120,000).
This is Nora Quoirin. She’s missing in Malaysia – was on holiday with her family, staying in a hotel in Seremban. She’s 15 amd has special needs. Her mum is an old friend from Belfast – they now live in London. They are frantic so pls retweet this. pic.twitter.com/RZo6L7HX67
— Catherine Morrison (@CackyMo) August 4, 2019
A fundraising page set up by her aunt had raised £91,195 by Monday, while another page collecting money in euros has so far generated nearly 15,000 euros ($16,800).
“Nóra would not know how to get help and would never leave her family voluntarily,” her aunt wrote in the appeal. “Nóra is a child with special needs and has learning and developmental disabilities which make her especially vulnerable and we fear for her safety.”
“Her parents and our families in Ireland and France are distraught by her disappearance,” she added.
Urgent. Please help and share. my niece (Nora Quoirin) has gone missing in Seremban an hour or so from KL in Malaysia. She is 15 with special needs, and hasn’t been seen since everyone went to bed last night. pic.twitter.com/XeCjTVwGZp
— Aisling Agnew (@AislingAgnew) August 4, 2019
Quoirin’s parents noticed an open window in their accommodation on August 4 and believe she may have been abducted. Though Malaysian police have also been exploring the possibility that she went missing on her own, her parents have said they have “no reason” to believe she wandered off alone.
Sniffer dogs and helicopters have been deployed and local volunteers are helping with the search. Posters showing Quoirin’s face have also been distributed across the region.
The teenager was born with holoprosencephaly, a rare disorder affecting the brain’s development. Her communication abilities are limited and she cannot write more than a few words.
Her balance is also affected and she struggles with coordination.
“Nóra is a very special person. She is fun, funny, and extremely loving. With her family, she is very affectionate—family is her whole world and she loves to play games, like Cat Bingo, with us,” her parents said in a statement last week. “She likes to tell us silly jokes and wear clever, colourful t-shirts. She is not like other teenagers. She is not independent and does not go anywhere alone.”
“Nóra is very sensitive. Outside the family, Nóra is very shy and can be quite anxious. Every night, her special time is for cuddles and a night-time story with her Mum. And she was extremely excited about the family holiday in Malaysia.”
STATEMENT FROM FAMILY OF #missing NORA QUOIRIN – 9TH AUGUST 2019 #findnoraquoirin pic.twitter.com/QCeQKnBSeS
— Lucie Blackman Trust (@MissingAbroad) August 9, 2019
The Dusun resort, where the family were staying, is in a remote area 800 feet above sea level in the Titiwangsa mountain range. It contains six houses, each surrounded by rainforest, and has capacity for just 20 guests.
Quoirin, whose mother is from Belfast and whose father is French, was traveling on an Irish passport during the trip.
She is five feet one inch tall, has a slight build, wavy shoulder-length dark-blonde hair and blue eyes, according to the Lucie Blackman Trust (LBT), a charity that has been assisting the girl’s family.
“We want to say thank you to each and every one of you. We know you’re searching night and day for Nora”
The parents of Nora Quoirin have thanked search teams scouring the Malaysian jungle for their daughter
[Tap to expand] https://t.co/rSNlEOmCXA pic.twitter.com/C0VJw7oDvh
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 10, 2019
The family have set up an email address for information—[email protected]—and the LBT has encouraged anyone with information about her disappearance to call +44 800 0988 485. For callers inside Malaysia, the police have set up a hotline for information on 01112285058.